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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of Fort Worth and the surrounding area may |
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indeed take great pride in the new motion picture 12 Mighty Orphans, |
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which was filmed in their community and tells the story of a |
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legendary local football team; and |
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WHEREAS, Based on a book by Dallas sportswriter Jim Dent, 12 |
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Mighty Orphans is about the Mighty Mites, the hardscrabble high |
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school football team of the Masonic Widows and Orphans Home in Fort |
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Worth during the Great Depression era; the team was coached by World |
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War I veteran Rusty Russell, who walked away from a better-paying |
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job to work at the orphanage in 1927; with few resources, the Mighty |
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Mites had to practice with two socks stuffed together instead of a |
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football, and they traveled to games in the back of Coach Russell's |
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smoke-belching Dodge pickup truck; and |
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WHEREAS, In spite of its hardships, the team won its first |
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game against Mineral Wells 34 to 14, and it went on to a remarkable |
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8-2 first season; in 1932, the Mighty Mites made it to the state |
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championship, and they reached the state semifinals in 1934, 1938, |
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and 1940; two players, Hardy Brown and Dewitt Coulter, later played |
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professional football, and one of the players from the first |
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season, Abner McCall, went on to become president of Baylor |
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University and a Texas Supreme Court justice; and |
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WHEREAS, Released by Sony Pictures Classics, this |
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inspirational story has been brought to the screen by director and |
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West Texas native Ty Roberts, with a screenplay by Lane Garrison, |
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Kevin Meyer, and Mr. Roberts; it stars Dallas native Luke Wilson as |
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Coach Russell, and it features performances by such veteran actors |
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as Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Wayne Knight, and Treat Williams; |
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the film was shot in and around Fort Worth in the fall of 2019, and |
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it provided employment to hundreds of local residents, utilized |
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area businesses, and featured such iconic locations as Farrington |
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Field and the Masonic Temple, as well as Yellow Jacket Stadium in |
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Cleburne and the Texas Pythian Home in Weatherford; and |
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WHEREAS, Joining an elite group of motion pictures to be shot |
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in Fort Worth, 12 Mighty Orphans places the national spotlight on |
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the city as a filming and tourist destination, while providing an |
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entertaining showcase for the remarkable story of the Mighty Mites; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commemorate the release of |
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12 Mighty Orphans and extend to all those associated with the film |
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sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the cast and crew of 12 Mighty Orphans as an expression |
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of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |